CHECK IN FOR CRUISE HOTEL CONSULTATION

Liverpool City Council is hosting a two-day information event this week for a proposed four star hotel for the city’s new cruise terminal facility.

The pre-planning application consultation sessions are being held on Thursday, 27 September 2pm – 7pm and Friday, 28 September 12pm – 5pm in the Foyles Room 1, on the first floor of the Cunard Building, Water Street.

Local residents and businesses are invited to meet members of the project team and discuss the proposals.

The hotel will include around 200 bedrooms, lobby bar, café, restaurant, business suite, and back of house facilities together with visitor and coach parking, taxi pick-up and drop-off point. Sitting within Peel Land and Property’s £5bn Liverpool Waters complex, the hotel scheme will also include new public open space, hard and soft landscaping and associated servicing arrangements.

Following these consultation sessions a detailed planning application will then be submitted at the end of October.

The new cruise liner terminal, which will also include an off-site multi-storey car park, will enable the world’s largest cruise ships to dock at Liverpool and is expected to directly create more than 500 new jobs.

This year Liverpool welcomed more than 60 vessels, with 100,000 passengers and crew, and the city council wants to capitalise further on the cruise boom by creating a state of the art passenger and baggage facility, complete with passport control, lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank and vehicle pick up point, to cater for Liverpool’s growing appeal in the cruise industry. The current terminal generates more than £7m a year to the city’s economy.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:

“Our new cruise liner terminal is vitally important to our growing tourism economy and will mean that once again we can welcome the greatest cruise ships in the world to the Mersey.

“The construction of this new terminal will mark a new chapter in the city’s maritime future as we create a world class experience for the cruise companies and their passengers.

“We are working with some of the very best in the construction industry to deliver these facilities to the very highest standards and the new hotel is a vital ingredient to the overall experience. As part of the planning application process it’s vital we hear from businesses and residents about this scheme and we look forward to their feedback.”

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority recently approved £20m funding from its Single Investment Fund for the new Cruise Terminal facility.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“The new cruise liner terminal is a key element in plans to further boost our flourishing visitor economy, which is now worth more than £4.5bn a year to the city region’s economy and provides more than 53,000 jobs.“As a Combined Authority we are committed to doing all we can to boost the city region’s economy for the benefit of all of our residents, which is why we are happy to provide this substantial support to one of the city council’s flagship initiatives.”

The site of Princes Jetty and the land known as Plot 11 along Princes Parade, which are needed for the construction of the new cruise terminal and the hotel will be gifted to the city council by Peel Land and Property.

Site preparation works for the new facilities are expected to start in the new year, subject to approval of a Harbour Revision Order.

Darran Lawless, Development Director at Peel Land and Property, said:

“It is incredibly important that everyone living, working and interested in what happens at Liverpool Waters have an opportunity to review the council’s proposals and this public consultation is just one of the many ways to achieve this.

“We fully support our partners at Liverpool City Council, believing that developing this hotel will provide a valuable addition to the Cruise Liner Terminal and perfectly complement the existing amenities at Liverpool Waters as well as the significant developments underway. We would encourage all those who are interested to learn more about the proposal to come along and have their say at the consultation.”